Liquid dispenser



R( R. HULL.

LIQUID DISPENSER Nov. 3, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 2l, 1951 ouooboooauooo oeuoaoooou eoonoaoena nooeuonaou un con Qnoounuooouau Nov. 3, 1953 v R. R. HULL 2,657,554

LIQUID DISPENSER Nov. 3, 1953 R. R. HULL LIQUID DISPENSER Filed Aug. 21. 1951 5' Sheets-Sheet 5 fnl/enter.

. Ha Z Z Robert Patented Nov. 3, 1953 LIQUID DISPENSER Robert YR. -fHulL Pasadena, eGalif., assigner, `by mesne...assignments, to Roy- FaSteward, :Merrill F. Steward, ,andllonald T..Steward, allof Meriden, Conn.

Application August 21, 1951, SerialNo. v 2r42,9r53

-5 Claims. '-1 This invention relates-toliquid dispensers. and especially-to dispensers-ofthe type .adapted for temporarily Y'storing -in va suitable reservoir .a quantity of av beverageefrom which` portions A.ar-.e Withdrawn-upon demand for Adelivery-.to a cus.-A tomer. rectedv to dispensers -of the` foregoing typev having incorporated in-them meansior maintaining-the beverage in a potable-condition, comprisingl heatV transfer means disposedwithiny the beverage reservoirforveffecting desired temperature control Y ofthe-beverage, land .an agitator lcooperating with the heattransfer` meansv tov .effect better and -morefuniform temperature. control'of'the beverage. The agitation alsoserves the purpose Onmaintainin-g any solids or semisolids in uniform suspension throughout the body ofy thefbeverage. v-The latter4 problem kis encountered more "particularly in the dispensing `of-fruitv and vegetable juices, Whichyis one ofA the most common -uses -offldevices ,ofthis kind. While it is Within the'purvieW ofthepresent invention to provide v-Ineans for heating beverages,such as cofee-orcocoa for examplevand maintaining them-ina heated. condition, it .-iS a primaryv purposeA to provide a dispenser -incorpora-ting a refrigerating -system 1 in which the heat transfer means-'disposed within; the bevorage is-a cooling'coiLf-and the description ywhich follows is accordinglydirected principally 7tosuch an embodiment.

vThe design yand-fconstruction of such dispensers often present numerous andv sometimes quite conflicting problems,one .of f the principalof these being the requirement on the one .hand ifor compactnessl of size .and on the-other 1the provision of a suicient supply of beverage-at 'the desired temperature. Another is thatofvdesigning a dispenser in which there is a minimum opportunity for unsanitary conditions vto arise, and correspondingly one in which all parts coming into direct contact With the beverage are accessible forcleaning. Particularly importantin this connection is the necessity for having as'few movable Iparts as possible, such as bearings, in contact with or closelyadjacent the beverage. Also the dispenser must of courset be one Which is practical to build and operate from an economical-standpoint. On top of all this, the dispenser must have an attractive appearance and the beverage Should be clearly visible so that When the unitiis placed out whereit can be seen by the customers, it-'Will encourage the sale ofthe beverage.

Taken individually, the foregoing requirements 'l might-present little diflculty, -yet whentaken 'More particularlyftheinvention is din `'the aggregate, vconsiderable compromise yhas usually' been-necessary. -in arriving-at a. commercially-practical device. 4Theseand other problems attendant upon-the design of a dispenser will be discussed brieyin outliningthe various objects Vachieved. bythe-novel dispensers embodying the inventive concept r.disclosed herein, whereby many of-the 4compromises heretofore thought necessary are avoided.

-In generaL-thedispenser comprises ahousing which constitutes-abase upon Whicha reservoir is supported, much asin-thebaserof the Wellknown water coolers. Thebase contains. most of the variousl aooessor-iesenecessary. for properly 1 maintainingtheV beverage inl potable condition,

and is providedon its-upper surface, as an` integral part of the base, a central column or .post which. extends .upward a. distancel just short `of the-maximum height of the reservoir. rI.his post Y contains-the refrigerating .coiliorcooling the beverage and. carries an. agitator yfor keeping the beverage-stirredwup within. the reservoir. The latten-fitsdownoveri theopost, the postpassing through'vvhat may be termed the mouth of the Y reservoir which is-positioned at the bottom,A as

for example, by inverting a large jar. yA- liquid seal .is provided at thefg'ar .mouth ,where it .rests on the topsurfaceof the housing to prevent undesired-outiiowofA beverage. The top of the jar, that is, whatwouldnormally constitute its bottom, iscutaway-and=lling.is accomplished by pouring-the beverage into-the open upper end thus provided. `A dispensing .Youtlet,A opening 4into-the-mouth of thereservoirat the top. of the-housingand within 'thesealing joint ,there provided, allows beverage-to be. withdrawn by gravityflow as desired.

APlsmentioned above, one-of the primarybonsiderations in dispensers -of- `this type is that of smallness of size since it ishighly desirable that 'such adispenser-notjl consume more than a minimum amount of spacein-order thatitcanconvenientlybe placed, -for' example, ona shelfor counter. Y'iIliis object .is achievedin-.dispensers embodying thepresent invention, while at the same time -a `unitA capableof `holding a .fairly large supply-ot beverage is provided. viorexample, fthe unit-Which is specifically. 1 illustrated yin the accompanying drawings anddescribed in acca-'554 tainer or reservoir supported upon a cylindrical housing of about the same size as, or only Slightly larger than, the reservoir itself. Within this housing all of the necessary agitating and refrigerating means are enclosed except that which is necessarily in contact with the beverage in the reservoir, so that there is thus provided a compact unit which at the same time attractively displays the beverage in the reservoir.

One of the diiiiculties encountered in thus compacting the various component parts of the dispenser, and particularly where a compressor and condenser of a refrigerating system are placed within the housing for protection as well as for the sake of better appearance, has been that of obtaining adequate cooling of these enclosed parts. rEhe obvious expedient of course is to employ a fan which draws air into the housing over the various parts so as to afford some measure of cooling and thereby prevent excessive operating temperatures. Usually however, because of space limitations, the rate of air flow into the housing has had. to be rather high, with the result that dirt, lint, and even splashed beverage have been drawn into the unit and deposited on the parts and have plugged up the holes in the housing through which air is drawn. Not only does this lower the ability of these parts to transfer excessive heat to the Ventilating air, but it can also give rise to very unsanitary conditions, requiring frequent and thorough cleaning, which has not always been practical. It is accordingly one of the objects of the invention to provide adequate cooling or Ventilating air at substantially reduced velocity, and concurrently without increase in the overall size of the unit.

In the manner of beverage storing and cooling also, the dispenser described herein incorporates several novel features, particularly with respect to a very compact and mechanically simple combination of beverage cooling coil, beverage agitator and accessory housing Ventilating fan. For reasons which will be discussed presently, it is preferred to use as the beverage container a glass bottle or jar having inwardly sloping shoulders leading to a mouth of good size but of something less than the full diameter of the jar. As mentioned above, the usual bottom of the jar is cut out and it is supported in an inverted position on top of the housing Where its mouth is received within a socket having suitable gasket means to effect a liquid seal. The use of a reservoir having a restricted mouth opening, however, immediately introduces a limitation as to maximum diameter of both the agitator and the cooling coil if the latter are to be mounted integrally with the base or housing and are to project upward through the restricted mouth and into the beverage container itself, as is desirable for effecting most efficient cooling and if the jar is to be removable for cleaning or replacement. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide suitable beverage cooling means capable of satisfying these requirements. A further object is to incorporate with such cooling means an agitating device which, although capable of being run at relatively high speed, does not cause turbulence in the beverage. Turbulence is to be avoided if possible since it is likely to cause a distinct change in taste of certain beverages, particularly in citrous fruit juices. This change in taste arises apparently from entrapment of air which is whipped into the beverage during the 4 turbulence. Furthermore, high agitator speed are apt to cause a vortex to be formed in the beverage in the container, reducing the useful capacity of the container because of the liability of the beverage to spill over the top of the container. In the present device, these and other objects are achieved by the use of a novel combination including a substantially columnar cooling element of small diameter which can fit into the mouth of the reservoir and a, helically formed agitator which encircles the cooling element and is rotatableabout the latter in close proximity to its surface to effect a wiping action of the liquid with respect to such surface.

In the above discussion it was mentioned that the use of a shouldered bottle or jar as a reservoir is preferred and the reason for this is that f it offers several advantages over straight sidewalled containers which outweigh the possible inconvenience of the smaller mouth opening. In the rst place, the length of the liquid sealing joint between the mouth of the jar and the socket on top of the housing is substantially shortened, and this is an important factor as will be readily apparent to those familiar with the problems encountered in attempting to fasten transparent materials to metallic refrigeration surfaces in a sanitary manner. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the use of a containerl which has inwardly sloping shoulders adjacent its bottom is particularly effective, in combination with the centrally disposed cooling coil and agitator mentioned above, in producing a toroidal circulation of the beverage within the reservoir, which not only -promotes better contact of the beverage with the cooling column but also ensures better distribution of any fruit pulp or similar suspended solid matter throughout the entire body of the beverage. There is also the point that, because of the reduced or comparatively small capacity of the lower end of such shouldered containers in comparison with the upper part, there is much less last end beverage left in the container after the liquid height falls to the point where, from the sales viewpoint, it is undesirably low. This last juice presents a sales or disposal problem whenever it becomes necessary to remove the beverage container for a. thorough clean-up, which ordinarily must be done every day or two at least, and the result is that this last end portion of beverage must usually be .thrown away since in most cases it cannot be added to the fresh beverage when the container is refilled without undesirably affecting the taste and salability of such fresh beverage.

Irview of the fact that the design o1' the agitator disclosed permits a relatively high agitator speed without creating turbulence in the beverage reservoir, the same shaft which carries the agitator may be used to carry a Ventilating fan for supplying the necessary air to cool the refrigerating system components housed within the dispenser, and it is a purpose of the invention to take advantage of this to effect a simplification in the construction of a dispenser. It is a still further feature of the present invention to employ this fan as a means for accomplishing a speed-reducing drive whereby a small, high-speed, low-power, electric motor can be used to drive the fan and agitator directly without the use of an expensive gear-type reducer unit.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the Vnovel features of bhstfuetiq'h the the-eemhinatioh thereof which are 'illustratedby aspecificfformof dispenser now commercial use and shown in the 'following drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a 'perspective view of adispenser embodying tlie y"invention 2 is as'ectional view in side elevation of the dispenser shownin Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4, 5and'6'ar'e cross-sectional plan views of lthe dispenserjaccessory housing at various levels, looking in the direction of the arrows along lines 3 3, 4 4, `5--5 and 6 6, respectively, in

Fig. 2; n I y l n Fig. 7 lis a fragmentary, detailed view, partly in :sectiom of va torque buffering means forming a `Spartvof the compressor mounting assembly;

Fig. 8 is afragmentar'y view in cross-section of the 'arrangement for mounting the agitator :drive motor; 'andv vIi'g. V9 is afschematic wiring diagram of the electrical system'for'controlling the operation of lthe' dispenser.

In general, the dispenser illustrated in the drawings comprises afcylindrical housing 2t 'which serves as "amounting base for a vlarge inverted bottle or jar-like reservoir 2l and for a cooling column '22 which projects centrally upward from the top of housing 20 through the mouth and neck of the'reservoir 2| toa point ad- Y'jacent the top of 'the latter. The reservoir is of the 'shouldered type yhaving inwardly sloping 'shoulders 23 which'terminatein a neck 2e providing a mouth of substantial size but of some- 'what'smaller diameter than that ofthe reservoir fat its maximum point. In order to'permit filling 'ofthe reservoir,'what wouldV ordinarily be termed the bottom of the ljar is "completely cut away,

soth'at when'it is placed in an inverted position on the'housi'ng, the` top ofthe reservoir is open for the reception of the beverage. Column 22 is provided with a h'elically formed agitator r'od 25, vtl'ie relatively wide-spacedturns of'which encircle L theA column throughout its extent close to the ffsuiface thereof. Agitator 25'is supported for rotation about vthe'longitudinal axis of the column,

aj manner which V'wi-il 'be -b ro'ughtout presently, .'whferebywhen'it disf'rot'ated, theturns of the helix are `causedY to' have af'progressive movement `axially'alongjthejsurface of the column. The

dispenser alsoinc'orporatesa transparent plastic or'lglas's outerjcoverl having a metal dome2l `@across the top thereof. This coveralso rests on "top of 'housing A'20 and encloses 'the reservoir. If

needed, the outer cover maybe emitted ende Vdomed cover, 'suchas cover V"28 shown yin'lig.l 2,

fplaced directly onvl thel reservoir. Normally, howfever, inner cover 28 is omitted ifanouter cover 'is employed. Y The 'other components of the dispenser which fare immediately'visible fromr an external inspecftihh are e. veut/ed dispensing o'ut1et ze through 'which beverage is withdrawn, and'a support 3E Veliova'bly attached to the side 'of 'housing 26 upon 4which a glass 3l or the like can be placed` @while the beverage is,l being dispensed. Support "30 comprises a ring 132 having"a bracket`33 in- .tegrally securedthereto and by which it in turn isdfsecured to the wall of housing 20. The support is prevideefwith a perforated dise et' plete 34 .on which the glass `3l sits, and any drip of beverage from the dispensing valve 29 after Vremoval of theglass is caught bya suspended cup 35 withwhich aeordinerv @aperue-35e iS carried- Cup 35a is replaceable by merely liftingfout'the '6 disc 34 and withdrawing the cup upwardly from the supporting cup 35.

The housing 20 comprises a cylindrical side wall 36 having upper and lower foraminous areas 36a, 36o, somewhat spaced apart vertically through which air can be caused topass forventilation of the units enclosed therein, as will be hereinafter described. Housing 26 is provided with a circular bottom cover plate 3l suitably secured to wall 36, and rubber mounting feet 38 provide a resilient vibration-dampening mount spacing the dispenser away from a shelf, counter or the like on which it may stand when in actual use. The upper edge of wall 36 is formed inwardly to provide a curled lip 39, and a dished top cover 40 having an upwardly-extending, outwardlycurled rim or flange 4I is positioned on top of wall 36 so that the rim 4l mates with the lip 39 in overlapping relation thereto. A pan 42, which is more deeply dished than cover 56, is positioned directly below the latter in spaced relation thereto. Pan i2 has an upstanding annular side wall 43 rolled outward slightly at lift along its upper edge to form a lip which seats within the rim 4I of top cover ed. Long screws l5 ypass through pan 42 and are received in threaded bushings 46 on the under side of top cover 40 to secure the pan in position below the cover and provide an interspace between the two. After assembly, this interspace is nlled with a thermal insulatingmaterial to prevent the heat of the accessory units housed below from reaching the refrigerated beverage above. The assembled top cover 46 Aand pan d2 are secured to the upper end of Ycylindrical wall 3h by means of screws 41 which pass through a peripherally anged partition 48 into threaded engagement with bushings 49 spaced lcircumferentially about and secured to the upstanding annular wall i3 of pan d2. Partition 48, disposed horizontally within housing 26 at the level ofthe separation between the upper and lower foraminous areas 36a, 36h, is welded to wall 36 at points along its peripheral ange, thus dividing said housing into upper and lower compartments which, however, are in communication with each other through a central opening in partition d6, as shown (Fig. 2). Additional support is also provided by four brackets E6 which are evenly spaced around the circumference of the partition and are welded to both the-partition and the wall 36. These brackets also serve an additional purpose which will be brought out hereinafter. Holddown screws dl thus seat the rim 4l of cover '46 securely on lip 39 of housing 2t by pulling down on the top cover and insulation pan assembly.

Housing 2t also contains another horizontally disposed partition forshelfel which vis peripherally flanged and is bolted to the housing at a level only a short distance above the bottom covert?. This shelf serves as the main support for practically all of the accessory units within housing 2u. The shelf iscut out centrally to provide a generally pear-shaped aperture, and a self-contained, sealed, motor-compressor refrigerating unit 52 is suspended by means of laterally extending mounting brackets 53 within the aperture thus provided. The drive motor 54 for agitator 25 is also carried in part by this shelf, as well as a spirally coiled refrigerant condenser 55,`a thermal switch assembly '58, a compressor motor starting and overload relay-5l and a cartridgetype refrigerant drier 5,8. The operation and detailed arrangement of these components will be discussed more fully hereinafter.

Top cover 40 is providedwith a central circular hole 59, the periphery of which is rolled downward slightly, and an annular socket member B, having outer and inner upstanding side walls 6l, 32, respectively, is permanently secured to the upper surface of the cover with its central hole 63 in registry with hole 59. The outer vflange 6l rof socket 65 is threaded to receive the threaded portion of the neck of the reservoir which screws fdown into the socket against a gasket 64 to make 'a liquid tight seal. Column 22 ts snugly within the registering holes 53 and 59 of the socket and top cover, respectively, and the cylindrical shell '55 of the column is welded to the face of flange "2 and the downwardly rolled lip of aperture 59 so as to secure the column in xed vertical up- :right position on top of housing 2s. The outlet means by which beverage is withdrawn from the reservoir comprises a tube or elbow 29a disposed within the interspace between top cover 4G and pan 42. One end of the tube is welded into a hole 29h in cover i0 and socket St, intermediate column 22 and the neck wall of the reservoir. The other end of tube 25a is received within an adapter 29o which extends through and is secured within registering openings in wall t3 of pan 42 and wall 36 of housing 2t. The valved dispensing outlet 29 then screws into the outer end of this adapter.

Within the shell B5 of column 22 there is positioned a cl-ose-wound spiral coil SB of copper tubing which forms the expansion or cooling coil of the refrigerating system. The diameter of the coil is such that the outer extremity or periphery of its turns is in contact with the inner surface of the shell. A capillary tube el leads into the tubing at the lowermost coil thereof for the introduction of condensed refrigerant at that point-which is subsantially in the plane of the mouth of jar ZI-the capillary tube being sealed into the end of cooling coil 66 and being supplied with refrigerant from the compressor and con denser in housing 2li. At the top end of the cooling coil 65, a return line E8 leading to the return or low-pressure side of the refrigerating system, passesI downwardly within the cooling coil be tween the turns of the latter and a centrally disposed sleeve t9. This sleeve extends beyond shell E5 at each end thereof and is centered at its upper end by a cap l0 through which the sleeve passes and to which it is welded. Cap l@ forms a closure for the upper end of the shell 55 and is welded around its periphery to the upper edge thereof in liquid-tight manner. The remaining space within shell 65 is lled with a thermally conductive composition 1| which serves to hold the cooling coil firmly in place and promotes more effective refrigeration by the coil by providing larger surface contact with the shell 65. The filler may be solder or, preferably, a good grade of transformer sealing compound.

Each end of sleeve 59 is counterbored and bearings 2, '53, are pressed into the opposite endsof the sleeve. A shaft 'I4 is rotatably carried in these bearings and has secured to its upper end Lan inverted, cup-shaped hub 'i5 which seats down lover the upper end of sleeve 69 so as to form an apron or skirt to prevent any beverage from getting into the bearing surfaces, particularly when filling the reservoir. Hub 15 has a radially extending slot 16 cut out of its upper edge forming a keyway by which agitator 25 is keyed to the shaft ld. To accomplish this and to hold the agitator in proper alignment with the shaft, the -upper end of the spiral agitator rod is bent in- -yvard so as to project radially through a hole drilledin the sidewall of a cylindrical sleeve 11. The rod is welded fast with sleeve 71, the inner end 18 of agitator 25 extending inwardly beyond the inner wall of the sleeve a short distance. Sleeve 'Vl is adapted and arranged to slide axially down over hub l5 in close mating engagement, the inwardly directed stub 'i8 of agitator 25 tting into the keyway 'it of the hub and resting against the bottom of the keyway to prevent the agitator and sleeve from sliding down beyond a desired position. Thus the agitator 25 may be simply lifted oif the upper end of shaft M whenever it is desired to do so.

The lower end of sleeve `t!! is held centered with respect to shell 65 by abutment against pan l2 where it is welded in registry with a central hole 'i5 therein. Shaft 'M extends through the lower sleeve bearing i3 a short distance and is provided with a flat 8) in its periphery. An impeller wheel 8l is mounted on the lower end of the shaft and a set screw 82 passing through hub 83 of the wheel 8l is turned in against flat 8d to lock the wheel onto the shaft. rThe impeller wheel, as shown best in Figs. 2, e, and 5, comprises a flat, disc-like central portion 84 surrounded by an annular rim 85 extending downwardly substantially at right angles to the central portion. Extending radially outward from the periphery of the rim 35 and integrally connected thereto in evenly spaced arrangement around it is a series of impeller blades 85, so that as the wheel is rotated it acts as a fan for creating a current of air. In the example here illustrated, the wheel is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from above (Fig. 5) so that air is drawn centrally in through the perforations in the lower area 36h of wall d, from which it passes up through the central opening in partition i8 and is pushed radially outward through the upper formanious area 36a by the impeller blades. The radially disposed brackets 5G mentioned previously function as baiiles to force the air out through area 35a and prevent stalling-out of the impeller by continuous recirculation of air around its circumference within the housing. Rotation of the impeller wheel, and consequently of agitator 2l', is eifected by the small driving motor 5d which is pivotally supported intermediate partition d8 and shelf 5| so that its shaft 8l is disposed vertically. As shown in Figs. 2, i and 5, motor 5d is provided with a driving puck or friction roller 88 secured to the upper end of shaft Sl. Puck S8 comprises a bushing BQ to which is bonded a grommet 90 of rubber or similar material. Motor 54 is supported between the horizontally extending arms of a substantially C-shaped motor mounting bracket 9| (Figs. 2, 3, and 5) having a bearing 92 secured along a vertical edge thereof. A hinge pin 93 extends upwardly through a bushing 9d secured to the under surface of the lower supporting shelf 3l, through a registering hole in the shelf and through bearing $2 into a bushing secured to the under surface of partition 4S. Pin 93 is prevented from falling out by means of a set screw in lower bushing 94 which engages a flat on the lower end of the pin, as seen best in Fig. 8. Thus, motor 54 may be swung in a horizontal arc about pin d3 to move the driving puck 88 into and out of engagement with the inner surface of annular rim S5 of the impeller wheel 8l. This arcuate swinging movement provides a take-up arrangement by which the engagement of the driving puck 88 with rim 85 is automatically maintained, an extension spring 9S for this purpose being stretched between a post 91 on bracket 9| andia secondipost 98cstanding upright firo'm'shelff'SfiI (see Fig. 2). The foregoing construction furnishes a particularly simple means of. reffectinga substantial speedreduction between thev motor. and agitatorl shafts because ofthe great difference in diametersoffuuck 8.8 andthe inner periphery of rim 85 offthe` impeller, Thus aizsmall;r high-speed motorl l of relatively low power can bezused, and.; the necessityfor an expensive and oft-,en troublesome gear type speed reducer iseliminated.

The refrigerating system. of thel dispenser is more or less conventionaln except` for the construction and arrangement ofV the condenser. suitable type of motors-compressor unitmay be'employed. However, the unit here shown generally. at 52 is.v most advantageouslyone of a Well; known commercially available type characteriaed by the fact that it is a particularly compact; sealed unit in which the refrigerant vapor returning-from the cooling coil is. compressedand pa ia-lly cooledina section ofthe/condenser; afterf4 which` it is returned to the motor winding enclosure space of the sealed unit for cooling, the compressor motor and perhaps also effecting somecooling of the compressor before it goes to thermain. section of thev condenser where it is actually condensed. As adapted for use in the diSpeIlser. here illustrated, the compressor unit 52 is suspended, as mentioned previously,l by brackets 53.; which extend laterally therefroml and overlie the peripheral lower shelf 5| within housing 20 (Rigas and 5). Each of these brackets is secured. to the shelf by means of a shock mount (Fig. '7) comprising a central bolt 99 which passesfthrough shelf 5| anda reinforcing plate lili), the bolt being. attached thereto by a nut |01, as seen in Fig. 7. A compressionspring I ilZsurrounds bolt 9S and is held in positionr between a 'lowerI spring cup Ill3andanupper cup |54. Bolt 99, passes loosely through a.. hole in the bracket and the latter sits on top of cup |04. A lock-nut assembly |55 on the upper end of the bolt prevents thebracket fromjumping olf the upper end Ofi thebolt but allows some playy tooccur. One ofl the brackets is providedalsowith a torque bufferingarm It which, is suitably fastened to thebraclet sofas to be rigid with it and-to extend generally at right angles thereto, as seen` more particularly inY Figs. 3, 5, and '7. A buffering spring lill' is disposedbetween the underside of arm |66 and a small plate |08 fastened to shelf 5|. Spring |51 is threadedly engaged at its opposits. ends by suitably-` threadedI bushings IDB, onaofrwhich is secured to the under side of arm |,`6,rwhile the other isfastened to plate m8,. In this manner, spring |01 resists both compression and-extension asthe result of up-and-down arcuate movement of arm I 135. Suchvmovement, of course, results from the reaction of the torque developed during starting ofthe compressor unit 52., more particularly, and it is necessary toprevent excessive. movement, of the unit so that it does notr interfere with` and damage other components. positioned close by within housing 20. 'I 'he arm also helps toreduceany rockingmovenicht 0f the Compressor unit 52. during Shipment of the dispenser whichy might cause damage to theurlt: Y

Compressor unit52 draws expended refrigerant vapor through return line t8 from cooling coil 66 into the housingl of the unit at coupling i I0 ad- ,jacentl the bottom thereof, compresses it and passes it out through a coupling II'I, also adiacentthebottom ofunit 52,. to a' tube I If2- which bulb |25 is connected by a thin tubingv I 2|A to the vbellows of the-thermal switch 56, which in-` the I0 encircles unit 52 and feeds the :compressed-manor into the top coil of; condenser 55. The condenser comprises a plurality of closely spacedi turns-of integrally finned copper tubing which is'heldln place by a ser-ies of suitably notchedl anglelbraclgets I I3 to hold the turns of the condenserin even,- ly spaced relation to each other, as seen. best', in Figs. 2 and 3. The diameter of theA turns of; the condenser is only slightly less thanthat of housing 2|) of the dispenser, so that when placed in the latter, the turns are positioned closely adjkjacent the inner surface of cylindrical; Wallv 3.6K.

Brackets I I3 have feet I I4 by which theyl are secured to shelf 5| so as to extend uprighttherefrom forr supporting the condenser adjacentvthe inside of the lower, larger, foraminous 3617 of wall 35. Thus the condenser presents ama-xlmum area of exposed surface to the entering-V air fora minimum overall size. Furthermore such arrangement enables efficient use of the` space within the turns of the condenser for the other Iaccessory units, as shown, so thatthey` also are compactly placed, yet assured of adequate; cooling.

Refrigerant which has been partially cooled in the top few turns of condenser 55 is led voi through a tube I I5 to a coupling I l5 inthe housing of compressor 52 for cooling the motorfand compressor as mentioned above. It then emerges through a coupling |11 from which it is returned to the condenser by tube IIB; The fully condensed refrigerant thenemerges from thebottorn turn of the condenser and is led by tubel IIS to the cartridge type drier 58. From the drieri the refrigerant is led to the'cooling coil for expansion by the capillary tube @l whose, length. is designed to provide the necessary restriction to the flow of refrigerant therethrough such that the rate of evaporation in the cooling coil provides the desired rate of cooling by the coiLl as is conventional. In this case, the capillary, tube is wrapped around the refrigerant return line-6 8 and soldered to it throughout its length in order to promote gcodheat transfer and thus take advantage of the cooling effect of return. line` 6.8 for. further cooling and condensing therefrigerant in the capillary. This arrangement,v senves also as a convenience in mounting the fine tube in a manner to prevent damage from vibration and the like. Expansion of the refrigerant assit leaves the capillary and within the low-side cooling coil E6 effec-ts the refrigeration of the beverage inreservoir 2| in conventional manner.

Operation` of rthe compressor unit is controlled by a temperature bulb |29 clamped or otherwise suitably securedin direct contact with outlet tube 29a, at the bend thereof, just below theI mouth -ofv the reservoir, so that its temperature is the same forv all practical purposes as that of the beverage which` will be next dispensed. And, because the lower end of agitator rod 25 is in close proximityto theinnerk end'of outlet tube 29a, circulation carries into the tube and the temperature at bulb I25c1osely approximates. that ofthe mainbody-of theliquid. As seen in Figs. 2v and 6,

dispenser here shown is commercially available in various different forms-for this purpose. Bulb |20 and tube |2|- are filled with a fluid which transmits tothe bellows in the thermall switch changesfin volume occasioned by temperature changes-at bulb |20. Switch 56 has a setiof electricalv contacts |22 (Fig. 9) which are closed by the .bellows Iwhenever'the temperature in bulb- |20 rises above a pre-set maximum and are opened upon the temperature reaching a desired minimum. Normally, a range from a minimum tem'- perature of about 35 F. to a maximum of about 40 F. is deemed most desirable for storing citrous fruit juices.

Referring again to the schematic circuit diagram in Fig. 9, it will be seen that the circuit from power lines 23 to the motor of the compressor unit 52 is interrupted by switch 5t, whereby the unit operates only intermittently in response to the need for refrigeration as called for by temperature bulb im. On the other hand, the agitator and impeller drive motor circuit is always closed directly across power lines S23 so that it runs continuously to provide constant agitation of the beverage. In the case of both of these motors there is a thermal overload protective device incorporated to prevent burn-outs. Overload relay iii taires care of the compressor motor and motor ft has a thermal cut-out i263 built in to it for its protection. Actual electrical connection to the compressor is made by a power cord |25 leading from the enclosure for the overload relay iii to a plug i2@ which plugs into a socket at the top of 'unit 5?..

It will be noted that in the construction of the dispenser here shown, the lower foraminous area 35D in wall Bt which is adjacent the condenser 55 is approximately twice the area of the upper area 36a. This is necessary because of the restriction imposed by the condenser, as well as the ccmpressor unit 52 and drive motor 551, to the iiow of air through area 35h, whereas a much smaller perforated area for the exit air vcan be used owing to the absence of interfering objects adjacent the upper area without causing excessive velocity at any one point. it will also be noted that no perforations are made in the housing wall 33 adjacent the dispensing outlet 2s, so that there is no tendency for beverage which may accidentally be splashed during the dispensing operation to be drawn into the housing.

rlhe particular combination of central cooling column and helical agitator encompassing it has been found particularly effective, both fromV an operational standpoint as well as from economical one in the construction of a refrigerating type of dispenser. By feeding the refrigerant into the bottommost turn of the spiral cooling coil, the coil is more advantageously flooded or wetted with refrigerant, while at the same time preventing excessive liquid refrigerant from leaving the coil and passing on over into the return line with consequent loss of refrigeration capacity. The helical agitator, in turn, provides eicient circulation of the beverage, particularly in combination with a shouldered reservoir as mentioned previously. Mechanical simplification is also provided by this construction owing to the fact that the Ventilating fan can be mounted on the same shaft as the agitator, so that, excepting the motors, there is but a single rotating shaft and only two bearings in the entire dispenser.

The invention may be carried out in other speciiic ways than that set forth in the foregoing description of a lparticular dispenser, Without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. As mentioned earlier, dispensers embodying the novel features pointed out hereinabove may incorporate heating means in place of the refrigerating system specifically illustrated. ln such case, the central column 22 can be heated by supplying steam to an enclosed coil similar to coil 66, or an electrical reSSaIlCB healier can be enclosed within the column. The foregoing example is, therefore, to be considered in al1 respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination in a liquid dispenser: an open-top liquid reservoir having inwardly sloping shoulders adjacent its lower end which terminate in a neck-portion of reduced size having an open mouth therein; a housing having a cover upon which said reservoir is supported; couplingand-sealing means secured to said cover to engage the neck-portion of said reservoir to support the latter in upright position on said cover and to form a liquid-tight seal with said open mouth; an outlet tube for dispensing liquid from said reservoir, one end of which is in communication with said open mouth of the reservoir; a substantially cylindrical, vertical column of smaller diameter than said mouth, said column being secured to said cover so as to project upwardly into said reservoir through said mouth; a refrigerating system including a cooling coil disposed in said column, also a compressor and a condenser located within said housing; a helical agitator encircling said column in closely spaced relation thereto, and mounted upon a shaft which extends axially downward through said column into said housing below said cover, is supported for rotation within said column, and has a flanged wheel secured to its lower end; driving means located in said housing adapted and arranged to engage the ange of said wheel to rotate the latter and thereby rotate said agitator, whereby to eect a flow of liquid vertically along the surface of said column, said inwardly sloping shoulders of said reservoir serving to direct the circulating liquid inwardly toward said column; a partition dividing said housing into upper and lower compartments which are in communication through an opening in said partition, the housing having portions of its side wall apertured at locations respectively above and below the partition; and impeller means carried by said flanged wheel and so disposed in cooperative relation to said opening in the partition that, upon rotation of said wheel, air is drawn into said housing on one side of said partition and forced out of the housing on the other side of the partition.

2. The combination as defined in claim l, wherein said refrigerating system condenser comprises a spirally coiled tube mounted within one of the compartments of said housing so that its turns are disposed closely adjacent an apertured side-wall portion thereof whereby air is caused to pass over said condenser by said impeller means,

3. In combination, a liquid reservoir and an outlet for dispensing liquid from said reservoir; a housing having a cover upon which said reservoir rests; a refrigerating system having a compressor and a condenser enclosed within said housing below said cover and a cooling coil which projects above said cover into said reservoir and forms vertical columnar liquid-cooling means therein; an agitator helically encircling said columnar cooling means; a shaft upon which said agitator is mounted, said shaft extending axially downward through said columnar cooling means into said housing below said cover; a bearing for rotatably supporting said shaft in the aforesaid 13 manner; a flanged wheel secured to the lower end of said shaft within said housing; and driving means located in said housing for engaging the ange of said wheel to rotate the latter thereby rotating said agitator to effect a ow of liquid in said reservoir along the surface of said columnar cooling means, said driving means comprising an electric motor having a projecting shaft to which a friction roller is secured, ksaid motor being pivotally mounted on a vertical axis below said anged wheel for horizontal swinging movement to engage said-roller with, or to disengage it from, the wheel ange, and spring means normally maintaining said motor in a position wherein such engagement is eiected; a partition dividing said housing into upper and lower compartments which are in communication through an opening in said partition, the housing having portions of its side wall apertured at locations respectively above and below the partition; and impeller means carried by said anged wheel and so disposed in cooperative relation to said opening in the partition that, upon rotation of said wheel, air is drawn into said housing on one side of said partition and forced out of the 2 housing on the other side of the partition.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3,

wherein said refrigerating system condenser comprises a spirally coiled tube mounted within one of the compartments of said housing so that its turns are disposed closely adjacent an apertured side-wall portion thereof whereby air is caused to pass over said condenser by said impeller means.

5. The combination as defined in claim 3, which further includes baille plates disposed radially in spaced relation around the periphery of said impeller means to direct air radially outward through an apertured portion of said side wall, said bale means serving in addition to support said horizontal partition within said housing.

ROBERT R. HULL.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS y Number Name Date 453,084 Lemon May 26, 1891 823,740 Reams June 19, 1906 1,796,916 Bonnheim Mar. 17, 1931 1,954,518 Downer Apr. 10, 1934 2,282,627 Weiss May 12, 1942 

